Cutting mechanism.



F. B. REDINGTON & M. J. MILMOE.

CUTTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3.1914.

1,296,55 Patented'Mar. 4, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- F. B. REDINGION & M. J. MILMOE.

CUTTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3.1914.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- ED STATES, PATENT OFFICE.

FBA'NK'B. BEDINGTON AND MICHAEL J. MILMOE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO PACKAGE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPO- ,BATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

eu'rrme mncnamsm.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

Original application filed lliarch 22, 1913, Serial No. 756,087. Patent No. 1,133,668, dated March 80, 1915.

' Divided and this application filed June 3, 1914. Serial No. 842,581.

To all whom it may conc'em:

Be it known that we, FRANK B. ltnome- TON and MICHAEL J.,M1LM0E, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cutting Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in cutting mechanism, and has particular reference to cutting mechanism of the shear type, for cutting fabric or other material such as paper strips and the like while such material is in motion. v

One of the objects of our invention is to provide an improved mechanism of the character described which will be simple, durable and reliable in construction, and efficient in operation.

Other objects of our invention will. ap-

pear hereinafter.

Referring to Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the cuttin mechanism and associated parts embo ying our invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end view of the cutters proper;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view through the frame and the support for the stationary shearing blade taken on the-line 3-3, Fig. 6, but showing in elevation the upper shearing blade, the lower shearing blade and the supporting parts for the latter blade.

Fig. 4'is a top plan View of the parts shownin Fig. 3, showing the plate 2 in section on a .line above the projection in which shafts 141 and 16 are carried.

Fig. '5 is a view in elevation of the cutting knives or blades, showing the strip of material in position to be cutthereby; and

Fig. 6' is a transverse sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 3.

This application is a division of our copending application Serial No. 756,087, filed the accompanying draw- March 22, 1913, relating to chewing gum to one skilled in the art, after having obtained an understanding of .our'invention details -of said chewing gum wrapping.

machine, and the application of our present cutting mechanism to saidv machine, may be had by reference to said co-pending application. Suflice it to say here that in said co-pending application the cutting mechanism is used for cuttin end pieces from a long continuous strip of uniformly wide paper, which end pieces are fed to the wrapping machine and applied as inner wrappers for the sticks of gum. In the resent drawings, th reel or spool which hol s the supply or continuous strip A, of paper, is indicated at B, Fig. 1. This reel is mounted to rotate upon a suitable shaft or stud 1 outstanding from the face of a supporting frame 2 of the machine. This frame is of the same construction as shown and described in said co-pending applicafrom the-disclosures herein made, that our tion. The strip of paper A maybe'fed to 'is attached to the arm 5 and t e frame.

The shaft 8, upon which this roll 3 is mounted, extends through a slot 9 in the frame to the opposite sideof the frame, and carries a gear 10 which meshes with and is driven by the gear 11 on the shaft of the roll 4:. In the present structure, these two rolls serve to constantly feed the continuous strip of paper A to the shears or cutting knives C, which shears periodically clip or cut off end portions from said strip. The shears are composed of two members or blades 12 and 13, cooperating to sever end portions or pieces A from the main strip of paper A.

which passes therebetween. The lower blade 13 is rotary in character and outstands from the end of the shaft 14, and is preferably driven in properly-timed relation by a gear 15,'which is mounted upon the shaft of the gear 4 and through the medium of which the gears for the feed rolls 3 and 4 derive their motion. The upper shear blade 12 is also mounted to outstand from the end of a stud or mounting member 16, but this stud is fixed in the frame plate 2 of the machine and is not intended to rotate. The shafts 14 and 16 are carried in a projection 2 extending from the rear of the frame 2. The stud or mounting member 16 (see F lgs. 3 and 4) has a longitudinal groove or channel 17 in its under side, in which the butt or inner end portion 18 of the upper shear blade is positioned. This-butt end portion 18 is pivoted at 19 in the channel 17 so that it may oscillate or move about said pivot in a vertical plane, and a spiral spring 20 constantly yieldingly presses upon said butt end portion to maintain the upper blade in shearing or cutting relation to the lower blade 13. One of the important characterlstics of our invention is that the parts are so constructed and arranged that the end portions or pieces A will be cut or clipped from the main strip A while said main strip A is in motion and without interrupting its movement. It is of course desirable that the transverse cuts across the strip shall be substantially at right angles to the parallel side edges of the strip itself, so that the end pieces or portions which are clipped from said main strip will be substantially rectangular in form. This is particularly desirable Where the end pieces are to be used as wrappers for articles of meehandise, such as sticks of 'gum. The lower shear or blade 13 is arranged to rotate'constantly in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, and said blade is generally offset with respect to the longitudinal axis of the rotating'shaft which car-' ries said blade. Thus, in the rotation of the blade it will periodically arrive into cutting or shearing relation with respect to the upper'blade 12. The axis of the shaft 14, on which the blade 13 is mounted, lies at right angles to the edges of the strip A of paper, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3. The cutting edge 22 of the upper shear blade 12 lies substantially parallel with the plane of the moving strip of paper, but the cutting edge 21 of the rotating shear blade 13 is angularly disposed with respect to the plane of said sheet.- of paper and with respect to the cutting edge 22 of the blade 13. This gives av iaeeam gresses across the strip of paper. Since this cut is'progressive in this manner, some time is necessarily consumed b 1 the blades in cutting from the innerv e ge to the outer edge of the strip. Since acertain time period is required in making the cut from the inner edge of the stripto the outer edge, it will be noted that if these cutting. edges were disposed exactly in a line at right angles to the parallel ed es of said strip, the result would be a slantmg cut; that is, a cut would be made which wouldnot be at right angles to the parallel ed es of the strip, becaus of the fact that t e strip is moving downwardly while the cut is progressing across the strip. In order, therefore, to

provide a square or right-angled cut, so to speak, we arrange the cutting edges of the shears so that they droop or incline downwardly from their inner end portions to their outer end portions, as indicated in Figs. 3

and 5. That is to say, these cutting edges are disposed atan angle to the parallel edges of the strip, the angle being in the direction in which the strip is moving. The point of shearing action therefore advances with the stantially at right angles to the parallel edges of the strip of paper, this out being indicated by the dotted lines 25, Fig. 5. It

will be noted that the angle of inclination of the cutting edge 22 of the upper blade 12 is greater than that of the cutting edge 21 of the lower cutting blade, so that said upper cutting edgeoverlaps, so to speak, or lies in the path of the cutting edge 21 of the rotating blade. The upper blade 12, however. is held yieldingly in this position by the spring 20, as before described. 'It will be remembered that the inner end 23 of the rotating cutting edge arrives in cutting relation with the upper cutting edge 22 first, and. as the cut progresses across the strip of paper, the upper blade will gradually yield and rise under the action of the rotating lower blade, until the cut has been made completely across this strip. After finishing the cut. the lower blade'continues its rotation and passes beyond the upper blade, and the upper blade will then drop into its normal position. ready to again cooperatewith the lower blade when said lower blade again arrives in cutting relation thereto. This arrangement of inclining the blades at different angles insures the cutting edges of the tween two blades being in proper cutting-or shearing relation at all times during the cutting opconsequence insures a clean, sharp, shearing cut. The end pieces or portions A which are thus periodically cut from the main strip, may be disposed of in any suitable manner. In the structure shown,'we have shown them as passing bedelivering rolls 26 and 27, similar to the feed rolls 3 and 4. The roll 27 is fixed and the roll 26 is mounted upon a long arm 28, which is pivoted at 29 to the frame. This arm also has ,a sprin 30, which is attached to itself and to the frame for the purpose of yieldingly holding the two rolls together. The two sets of rolls therefore maintain the plane of the strip substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the 'blade 13. The shaft 31 of the movable roll 26 passes through a slot 32 in the frame and carries a gear 33 on its .end, which meshes with and is driven byv a gear 34 on the shaft 35 of the fixed roll 27. The large gear 15 on the shaft of the feed roll 4 drives the rotar blade 13 by means of a gear 36'on the sha 14 of said blade, said gear 36 meshing with the gear 15. The gear 36 in turn meshes with and drives a gear 37 on the shaft 35 of the deliverin roll 27. It will of course, be understood t at any suitable rangement for the rolls and cutting blade may be employed, but we have shown and described a train of intermeshed gears, which are all proportioned to drive the rolls and cutting blade in properly-timed relation. This train of gears may be driven from any suitable source of power, such, for instance, as is shown and described in our 00- ending application'a'bove referred to.

e claim:

1. A cutting mechanism. of the character described, havin in combination, a rotary blade, 2. relative y stationary blade, means for feeding a strip of paper or similar material across the ath of rotation of said rotary blade and maintaining the plane of said strip substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said blade inthe neighborhood of said blades, said rotary-blade having its axis disposed perpendicular'to the edges of said strip and having its cutting edge extending at an angle causing-the point of shearing action to progress across the strip and to advance with the motion of the stri whereby said blades will sever said strip along a line perpendicular to the edges of said strip. 2. In a shearing mec anism the combination of a relatively stationary blade having one end mounted on a fixed pivot, means for holding the other end of said blade yieldingly in position for the shearing operation, and a rotatable blade mounted to cofiperate driving ar-.

. disposed -str1p and constructed and arranged to cause the point.

of contact of the two blades to move during the shearing operation from a point adjacent to said pivot toward the free end of the stationary blade.

3. The combination of means'for advancing a strip of paper or similar material a rotary shearing member having its axis disposed perpendicular to the edges of the strip and having its cutting edge disposed at an angle tothe lane of said strip and also inclined in the dlrection of movement of the strip, and ,a relatively stationary shearing member yieldingly cooperating w1th said rotar shearing member to cut the moving strip on a line substantially at right angles to the edges' thereof.

4. The combination with means for moving a strip of paper or similar material, of a cutting mechanism into which the strip is fed by said means, said'mechanism comprlsing'a relatively fixed shear blade having its cutting edge inclined in the direction of is moving to sever said strip on a line at right angles to its edges.

5. The combination of means for moving a strip of paper or similar material, a rotary shearmg member having its axis of rotation erpendicular to the edge of the avlng its cutting edge disposed at an angleto the plane of said strip and also inclined in the dlrection of movement of the strip, and a relatively fixed shearing member yieldingly cooperating with said rotary shearing member for cutting the .moving strip on a line at right angles to the edge thereof, said relatively fixed shearing member having its cutting edge inclined in the direction of movement of the stri at a greater an le than said rotary s caring member an being yieldingly held at such FRANK B. REDINGTON. MICHAEL J. MILMOE.

Witnesses:

FRED G. Bnooxs, CATHERINE Barns. 

